Shattered Kingdoms

Other tales of infamy -

• The loss of Kijam
• The Necromancy Rampage - at the height of Darken's power (and 1 or 2 other necros that I can't recall) [whereupon more levels were lost due to energy drain than at any other time since; just prior to fall of Fayne]
• Formation / First Call of the Paladin Council (who the hell knows when that was?!)

We started somewhere in the 300's but the original idea was that the Third Age started at the breakup of the last empire. I'm not sure how that's factored into various builders storylines over the years.

Ah...in that case, I'll rework everything to date from 1 TA with Kol's fall.

And regarding Nada/Achernar, although he may have technically been added to the game at that time, IC lore has him that he appeared among the very first gods.

...and updated again.

I'm no expert but Kias was human and he fought the halflings who were given necromantic powers by Dreddnahr in return for sacrificing the soul of the poeple they killed to him. In the end he tricked them and all the souls were turned into C'htonians and killed the poor halflings.

Yeah, I've been reading things here and there about Kias and there is a lot of discrepenancy. There are things that suggest he was a halfling--others suggest he was a human. There are things that suggest necromancy was given to halflings during their war with Kias, and others that suggest they had had it for a long time prior. Some things suggest a vast empire of the halfings, others just an island. Some suggest Kias ruled over them before they rebelled, others that he attacked them out of the blue...

That's not really a problem, however. I kinda like the fact that there are disagreements between historical accounts--just as there would be IRL.

So, I tried to leave the timeline fairly vague so that it could fit in the various possibilities.

Some former god of knowledge you are, leaving us all confused and ignorant. Sheeesh!!

That Kias bloke sounds pretty funny.

Most of my history comes from bugtussle, though I never write anything down, nor have any/many logs (I have a series of PMs I'm sure he wouldn't mind me forwarding, they relate only to his view of history).

I was always with snuffles on the Kias story. My impression was Kias was a king in the northern islands who decided to attack the "great" halfling empire. The halflings were tricked by Dreddnahr into accepting necromancy to defend themselves, they mauled Kias, and hence he's now undead with the whole of his caves, while the halflings who became necromancers ended up cursed after dreddnahr's trick and ended up turning into the c'thon race (hence there are so many c'thonians around the spire).

The great halfing empire collapsed. This great halfing empire (called the "nation" by bug, and apparently previously by Reina) was hugely advanced while it existed, in terms of magic. Hence they created portals to other planes (spire is on their island) consorted with demons (ended up becoming c'thons etc) and I had thought they became associated with the original source of the portal stones. (This is my reaching, there are I think other stories for their origin).

As for the origins of the Empire.

Many of those who now play in the Empire will have heard my slightly different version of it's origins than your timeline shows. This is shaped by a few items-with-desc/books/room-descs in menegroth I've read, and somewhat by bug's history. I would never claim it's right, just fits many many things. In some places it all but contradicts things you've stated in your timeline, so I may be way off.

The version I go for speaks of the Empire being created somewhere "off the map" and having existed for years. During your early periods where the Empire now stands a nation known as Cathar'dur stood. Essentially, this was sacked (from seawatch and seaside first, then forces moving southwards) until eventually cathar'du itself was taken and renamed Menegroth. The refugees from this attack fled west, lead by King Taslamar, and came to rest as it were in the city of Exile. This is the source of the endless dislike between bright star and taslamar.

Anyhow, I'll send on those PMs at some point. Whether you take them as accurate or not, they're certainly stacked full of information.